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Benefits of Mirror Therapy Exercise for Stroke Patients

It is widely accepted that exercise for stroke patients is the main way to improve function. Mirror box therapy is a type of stroke rehabilitation exercise and it is known to be able to improve a variety of issues faced by stroke patients. These include:

Improving motor function

Improving sensory awareness

Reducing pain

Reducing visual-spatial neglect

Reducing spasticity and

Improving activity of daily living performance.

It has become a popular choice of treatment for stroke as it is cheap and easy to administer independently. The National Clinical Guideline for Stroke states that "Although overall the evidence is not strong, the studies undertaking mirror therapy... do appear to show some promising results and further research studies are needed."

The exact mechanism of how mirror therapy works for Stroke patients is still not fully understood although there are plenty of case reports that highlights the benefits of using it on Stroke patients. There are two main hypotheses of how mirror therapy may help patients who suffered from stroke.

Hypothesis 1

The first is that it helps restore the primary motor cortex to have a normal balance on both sides. The primary motor cortex organises and carries out any movement your body performs. When you have a stroke, generally, one side of your brain (hemisphere) is affected. This side of the brain corresponds to the contralateral side of the body. There may become an imbalance between the two sides as the affected side may not be firing as strongly.

During stroke mirror therapy, the primary motor cortex’s excitability is affected by both the ipsilateral limb movement and seeing the contralateral limb reflected in the mirror. The actual movement of the affected limb activates the ipsilateral primary motor cortex and the observation of that action in the mirror activates the contralateral primary motor cortex. This means both hemispheres of the brain are firing as they would in someone who has not had a stroke. It is therefore thought to facilitate the cortical reorganisation appropriate for functional recovery by allowing the affected side to work a sit normally would.

Hypothesis 2

The second hypothesis is that mirror therapy helps through the use of mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are thought to be found in the frontotemporal region and superior temporal gyrus. Mirror neurons fire when an individual either performs or observes a motor action. Bilateral activation of the premotor cortex has been recorded during the observation of arm/hand movement. Increased excitability of the Primary motor cortex has been found on the side of the affected hand when viewing it in a mirror i.e. even when the hand itself is not moving. Altschuler (1999) proposed that the mirror illusion of normal movement of the affected hand substitutes for the decreased proprioceptive information and helps to recruit the premotor cortex.

Testimonials & Reviews

Purchased these for my son to regain strength in his thumb after surgery to repair the ligament, so far so good.

- M Johnson
Hand Grip Strengthener

Purchased for my dad after he had a stroke. His outpatient physical therapy use similar product.
Reasonable price, better than trying to build one myself.

- Anna T
Mirror Therapy Box Rehab Kit

My doctor suggested me to get these to help gain strength and grip back in my hands.
I use them regularly and is effective. Using the light intensity one now.

- Gal S V
Hand Therapy Exercise Ball

Bought this for my right hand to help me from having claw hands. They are working great. It saved me a lot of money,
I recommend it to anyone who needs it.

- H Ioram
Resting Hand Splint

Product works extremely well and at a low price. Works great. High quality.

- Krl
Wrist and Forearm Strength Trainer

My mom is a stroke survivor. Using this as one of her home therapy, has been helping her to regain sensation in her right hand. Recommended.

- W Fracasso
Mirror Therapy Box Rehab Kit

About Us

MirrorTherapy.com is an informative site that focuses on mirror therapy rehabilitation using the mirror box rehab kit and other complementary aids.

At MirrorTherapy.com, we share useful and professional articles on topics like Stroke, Chronic Pain, Phantom Pain and how does Mirror Therapy aids these illnesses. We hope to provide information to people experiencing difficulties in rehabilitation and make the journey towards recovery faster and easier.